Those Left Behind
by Fantastic Nonsense
Summary: Five times the Team mourned Artemis, and the one time they didn't have to. Fill from the Anon Meme. Implied and Blatant Spitfire. Up: Resurrection.
1. Failsafe

Hey again. So...this was a prompt from the anon meme, which I am in the process of filling. De-anoning because I feel like sharing.

So, I would love to have concrit and reviews, because they make me a better writer (and they make me happy).

Hope you guys have fun reading!

-Aubrey

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DISCLAIMER: I hold no claim to Young Justice or its characters. My words are my own, though.

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**Failsafe**

It wasn't real, but that didn't mean that they didn't grieve. Hell, the whole time they were in the simulation, they were grieving.

She was the first to fall, the first to vanish in that blinding flash of light, with only a gasp and a scream left behind. Not even her bow left to remember her by, only memories of her long blonde hair bouncing freely, the mysteries surrounding her, her snarky comebacks and constant arguing with Wally.

There was no time to mourn. The aliens were invading. They were killing. They had killed their 'sister' (and to one, something more). They were going to pay.

The Team's grief propelled them. Ship after ship of the invaders (monsters) was destroyed. Countless numbers of the aliens were annihilated. They felt no remorse. This was the price these creatures would pay for taking one of their own.

No one fought harder than Wally. As he fought, that moment constantly replayed in his mind, reminding him (as if he needed reminding) what he was fighting for. This was what he was fighting for. He was fighting for the archer girl, the girl who could banter back and forth with him all day. The girl who called him 'Baywatch'. The girl who could beat him to a pulp (happily, too) with nothing but her determination and her fists. The woman he liked (loved).

They all fought valiantly, fighting in the name of the girl they couldn't save.

They each fell, one by one, to that sickening flash. And those left behind mourned. But the loss of their friends (family) propelled them onward, drove them (unknowing) to the suicide mission at the end.

The possibility that they were all still alive, that Artemis was still alive was all the persuasion Wally needed to go. And when Robin (Dick, why did you do it? Why would you lie to me like that?) told him it was all a lie, all of the grief and loss crashed down on him again. Barry was gone. Aunt Iris was gone. His family, his friends. _Artemis_ was gone. Despite his renewed devastation and the betrayal he felt, he still pushed on (they all did, those that were left).

And, at the end, staring at the numbers counting down to zero (Ten, nine, eight…), Dick and Wally nodded at each other, and went out fighting. Like Artemis had.

Waking up was, of course, completely unexpected. They were traumatized, fragile, in shock (broken). The ones left at the end, their friends, their family. They were all alive. Breathing. Looking at them with concern.

Artemis was alive, right in front of their eyes.

And, headless what any present might think, the Team engulfed Artemis in a hug. There was crying and laughing and screaming, sometimes all at the same time. She was the first to go down, and she had been the catalyst. She had become an integral part of the group, this snarky, no-nonsense archer with a bad attitude. Her 'death' had shaken the Team to the very core (had shaken Wally's carefree, flirtatious attitude and torn down Dick's laughing, confident self, had stolen the small smile off of Conner's face and put a haunted look in Kaldur's eyes, had traumatized M'gann to the point of psychic overload).

One thing was for certain.

They would never take Artemis (their friend, their sister, their archer) for granted again.


	2. Vigil

CA64: Thanks, and I hope you'll continue to like this.

Keepmovingforward2: I hope that's an good aww not a bad one. ;) Hope you like the rest of the fic.

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Thanks so much for all of the alerts and reviews guys! You all make me happy.

Well guys, here's Chapter 2.

Oh, and just to clear a couple things up: This fic does have a specific timeline. These are not just five ways Artemis died. I'll post the timeline in the next chapter if you want. This one takes place during the timeskip.

Have fun reading, and don't forget to review!

-Aubrey

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**Vigil**

Seven people stood in a loose circle in the darkness of the night, their faces obscured by shadows. Each person held a single candle, flickering softly and filling the room with an eerie, half-light that danced on the walls and threw familiar objects into shadows and illusions.

A midnight vigil held for a missing hero. A midnight meeting to pray for their friend. A watch for news ("Have you found her? Is she okay?").

They would be out looking themselves (god would they be looking, by day and night, through rain and shine and gang fights and super-villains) if each and every one of them hadn't been incapacitated and/or forbidden to go (but since when has that stopped them?).

A month.

A whole month missing was enough for them to have some hope, but not much. She could still be alive, they reassured themselves. _She has to be_.

Thinking anything less would just bring those feelings, those feelings of being adrift at sea or alone in a crowd of people, those feelings of grief and loss, of regret and blame. Her death would start the unraveling of the Team at the seams, the straw that broke the camel's back.

One of the figure's hoods fell back for just a moment, just enough to identify red hair and a single tear winding its way down a masculine freckled cheek. His girlfriend was gone (missing, not dead. She's not dead, she can't be). This feeling of loss that had rooted itself in the pit of his stomach a month ago (and stayed there) had no business being there and could go away. The League would find her. They would bring her back.

Another redheaded figure on the other side of the circle sniffled softly. Her sister, the one who had taught her so much about Earth culture and cooked with her, the girl who had introduced her to the mall and mystery books was missing, had vanished into thin air. A month. Gone.

The strong figure next to her touched her hand gently, reminding her that there was still hope. They had not found a body yet. That was the only confirmation this Team (this family) would take for an answer. Otherwise, she was missing, and they _would_ find her.

The smallest figure stood in silent contemplation. She had taught him so much (and vice versa, as well). Memories of times spent in the training room sparing, his creepy cackle filling the room as she tried with ever increasing frustration to hit him with her arrows, her never-failing determination (that matched his beat for beat), the long talks they had (on vast and varied subjects that included being the only non-supers on the Team, family issues of all kinds, and the stupidity of one Wally West), the days of being best friends and going out for ice cream when Wally wasn't looking (because, of course, he'd eat the whole bucket and then some) and that one night they had stayed up watching that cheesy ninja movie and pointing out the many ways Robin was superior.

Now she was gone. Robin was less naïve than the Team thought he was. He lived in Gotham, the city of death and the dying. He lived in the city where innocents died daily (hourly, even) and mothers abandoned their children for a couple of bucks and a steady supply of drugs. He had seen so much more than his teammates had, despite being the youngest. And he of all people knew that a month was too long. Far too long.

The sudden gust of wind that came through the open windows, causing their robes to billow and the abrupt extinguishing of the candles that plunged the room into darkness, only symbolized their fading faith and their descent into mourning.

A month was far too long.

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Now, don't panic. Artemis didn't die. They found her. Which is a good thing.

Now, I would love it if you guys would tell me what you think. Reviews are love, people!


	3. Misunderstanding

Yeah...hey guys! *ducks the tomatoes and hand grenades*

Sorry about leaving you all hanging for a month. I could give you excuses about being at a three week camp and then at the beach without my computer, and then being lazy when I got home and forgetting to upload the next chapter...but...I'll just let you read now, yeah?

Oh, and if any of you want to see the timeline for this fic (which by the way, is laid out), I'm going to post it at the end of the fifth chapter. :)

Have fun everyone, and thanks so much to those who reviewed!

-Aubrey

P.S. I wish the Anonymous reviewers would leave signed reviews or at least a name so I could reply to all of them...I love you all!

Bah...I don't like this chapter much. I felt as I wrote it (as I still do) that it was a farfetched idea, and one which I didn't really execute properly. I still like my first and my fourth chapters best. :)

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**3. Misunderstanding**

It's not as if she _meant_ to get caught in the explosion.

First, there was the earthquake that ravaged the West Coast. That sent all the heroes scrambling to help, using their various talents and powers to assist with search and rescue, healing aid, money, and the rebuilding effort. The Team had been sent out (not as a team of course, since they were supposed to be covert, not overt) to help with rescue, saving those trapped in collapsed buildings and stuck under layers of debris (or, in one memorable case, trapped in a chemical plant and slowly suffocating to death).

Artemis had been paired up with Robin and Red Arrow and sent out to Haven, a (very misnamed section of town) part of one city's 'Crime Alley'. Hours they toiled, diligently working their way through the streets and helping those that needed to be helped.

They were almost ready to call it a day when Artemis heard the crying.

She ran into a building that did _not_ look structurally sound, ignoring Robin's calls as he tried to catch up with her (running on a potentially sprained ankle, he had no chance). Racing through the building (up the stairs, floor after floor) and not really paying attention to anything but the crying, she did not expect to the rafter she was climbing on to break, sending her hurtling to the ground of the fifth floor. The little girl in the corner was also unexpected. Sobbing and clutching a teddy bear in her hands, the dark-haired child was curled up, knees to her chest, her clothing ratty and torn. She finally, after much coaxing and sweet talk (which she was _not _good at), convinced the girl to walk with her down the flights of stairs and out to relative freedom.

It happened when they were on the third floor. The sudden boom and the rippling explosion that filled the air, the crippling heat of the fire and the desperation to get out. Artemis picked the girl up in her arms and raced to the stairs just down the hall (feet pounding, heart racing, chest heaving).

When the building started collapsing in front of her eyes, she knew she wasn't going to make it out. In a desperation born out of fear for the little girl (her life didn't matter, never had. This little girl could grow up to _be _something), her eyes searched frantically for a window, for any opening they could get out with. She had no arrows; she had used her last one creating a net to catch civilians in as they jumped from the fourth floor of a burning building.

The window was just in front of her; Artemis all but threw the girl out of it, helping her balance and holding her hands as she lowered the girl down as far as she could before letting go and letting the child drop. Artemis smiled as she saw the girl stand and wave to her. She might get out of this. She might live.

She grabbed the window and prepared to lower herself out. This wasn't hard; she'd dropped from more distances in her sleep. That was before a second explosion rocked the building and made her lose her grip. The force of it propelled her outwards, and the last thing she remembered seeing before losing consciousness (after hitting the ground, hurting so much, vision fading fast) was the building (strangely far away) beginning to collapse. Her last thought was that it had all been worth it.

She woke up four days later (heavy eyelids cracking open, a gasp, and then pain, pain everywhere), lying in a bed in a darkened, dirty room. It took her two more days (drifting in and out) before she was able to talk and attempt to understand what had happened to her. Apparently, someone from Haven had found her half buried in rubble almost a block down from the complex (had the damage really been that extensive?) and had brought her home, knowing that she had been there doing good, even for the lowlifes and crooks.

Once she had recovered (a week and a half later), she thanked the man from the bottom of her heart and set off for the nearest zeta tube.

It was only when she entered Mount Justice and saw the whole Team and League (what? She'd been out of it with no contact with the outside world for a week and a half. What was going on?) sitting there just staring at her in shock that she thought there was something wrong. It was only after Wally had given her a massive hug and held her tight and refused to let her go that she knew there was something off. The Team had quickly surrounded her as well, engulfing her in a giant hug.

Her mother (who had been there, as she found out later, working on preparations for her funeral) had cried and had a miniature breakdown on the spot. Green Arrow and Canary were ecstatic to see her as well. All of them were.

The story slowly came out. When the building had exploded, it had collapsed. Robin and Roy (and later, the whole team) had searched for her in the rubble for two days straight before giving up (the reason they didn't find her was because the building had knocked her two buildings over into another pile of rubble, and after that, the man had found her) and announced her dead.

So it had been quite a shock for everyone when the computer announced her arrival at Mount Justice, of course.

Those two weeks left a pronounced affect on the Team, some only noticeable to Artemis herself. If M'gann instigated the psychic link more often than usual just to talk about trivial things, if Conner glanced at her every so often just to make sure she was there, if Kaldur talked to her a bit more than normal, if Zatanna and Raquel found excuses for 'girl time', if Wally held her close and gave her kisses that lingered, if Robin stared at her as though he was seeing someone else sometimes, well…no one but she was the wiser.

It all culminated one night while sitting with Wally on the couch in the rec room, watching (of all things) Disney movies. They had already gone through Mulan and The Lion King, and were watching Tangled.

She was half-asleep, cuddled close to him with her head on his shoulder, when she felt him move to look down at her. Stroking her hair softly (and obviously thinking she was asleep) he murmured to her, "Babe, you have got to stop scaring me like that. You have got to stop dying on us. It kills us every time."

Her 'loss' had scared them, scared him.

He was afraid that the next time, it wouldn't be just a misunderstanding.

Heroing was dangerous business.


	4. Resurrection

Hey guys!

Thank you for all of the kind reviews. To the two anon reviewers:

**Keepmovingforward:** I'm glad you love it. :)

**Paxton:** Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I don't know...I just don't like it very much. Such is the life. Thank you for the encouragement, though.

And to the rest of you, thank you so much! Love you all!

I really like this chapter. Actually, I love this chapter. However, I did have my issues with it. Originally, it was in present tense, until I decided that it would mess up the flow of the story as a whole (because the rest of it is in past). And then I said 'Oh, well I think it feels better in present' but ultimately left it the way it was (the way it is now). So anyway...enjoy the chapter!

-Aubrey

Reviews are welcome...

Starving artist- Will write for reviews.

P.S. Also, bonus points if you can guess the two fandoms I honor during this. Hint: They're both tv shows/cartoons.

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**4. Resurrection**

She breathed.

Except…she didn't. She breathed, but inhaled a foul-tasting liquid instead (just what is that, anyway?). She (what was her name again?) vaguely noticed that her body was swimming frantically, trying to determine which way was up (which way to the surface? _Which way_?)

And then she broke the surface of the water (was it water?) and desperately breathed in the sweet, sweet oxygen. There were voices surrounding her (voices screaming, grunting all around her, disorienting her further) and she couldn't see where they were coming from. Her whole mind seemed disconnected from her body.

And then she was being carefully lifted out of the not-water into soothing, comforting arms, cradled back and forth ("It's alright, Artemis. You're going to be just fine. Just breathe, okay beautiful?") while she sobbed brokenly, trying in vain to connect the pathways in her brain.

She wanted freedom. She wanted to _get out_. She struggled wildly in the grip of her captor ("Artemis! Please, calm down! Please!") and he (for it was a he) was crying too, she realized, but in a disconnected way that didn't evoke any emotion in her. She didn't stop struggling. Then she was free; the arms circling her had vanished.

She ran. She didn't look back, she didn't know where she was going (she didn't even know her own _name_, though she thought it might be the name that red-headed boy shouted), and she didn't have a clue where she was. She just needed to get out.

She stumbled blindly down a maze of corridors and locked doors (she sensed somehow that it always seemed to be this way with her life) until she found one that was open. She slipped in and sunk to the floor, holding her knees (still half sobbing, half laughing hysterically).

She didn't expect to wake up. She remembered that much. Her thoughts seemed scattered. She couldn't focus on any one thing (fragments raced through her mind at a break-neck speed, only confusing and terrifying her further).

"Alice is in Wonderland. Can she come back?" She had no idea where this had come from (or even what it meant). Suddenly, she was babbling aloud to herself.

"Goodbye…no, that's not right? What's the other one? I'm sad. Will be sad…no, was sad. Why was I sad? There's a word…I'm…I'm…it's that word! The one that I am but I shouldn't be…something happened, and I'm not…I shouldn't be…agh! What's that word? No, don't get emotional, Alice…Jade. Wally. Where's Wally?"

"I'm right here, Artemis."

She squeaked, frightened, and quickly scooted back into the back corner of the closet (for that's what the door had been; a small, empty closet). The red headed boy was at the door, kneeling on his knees and looking at her.

They stared at each other in silence for some time (him in emotional turmoil, she in a petrified, speechless state with disjointed memories and emotions swirling through her head) before he spoke, softly and with an emotion in his voice she could not identify.

"It's alright, Artemis. I'm here. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk with you, okay?"

His eyes (so green, like an emerald) stared at her with such sad intensity that she looked away. Those were the eyes of someone who had lost something precious, the eyes of someone whose soul had been irreparably hurt. The eyes of someone broken (wasted away to nothing, no laughter or joy in those eyes).

Artemis (she had deduced by now that her name was Artemis, though how she came up with Alice she still cannot understand) nodded hesitantly. The boy (_Wally_, a voice whispered in her mind. _His name is Wally_) started to talk then, words tumbling from his mouth like he couldn't control them (and he probably couldn't, she later realized).

"I'm…I'm going to tell you a story, okay Artemis? Okay. So, once there was a girl, an amazing, wonderful, annoying, snarky, irritating, gorgeous girl. She fought crime with her Team, the people she called her family. She had an amazing boyfriend that loved her to the ends of the earth and back.

And one day, the Team went on a mission, and the girl died. She got caught with a lucky shot to her stomach, and her boyfriend, her friends, her _family_, had to watch and cry as she bled to death on the floor of a cavern, reassuring them that she loved them and that she didn't blame them. And she died."

Artemis nodded along with this tale, memories swimming to the forefront of her mind. She now remembered lying on the floor (gasping for breath, the burning pain in her stomach) with the Team (her family) gathered around her, crying and assuring her she was going to be alright, that they could get her help in time (they couldn't, of course). She didn't tell Wally, though, and let him continue with his story.

"The Team spent months grieving for y…her. They brought her body back with them and gave her a funeral, simple and private. And they went back to missions. But it wasn't the same. The girl's death had touched them all, wounded them down to the core. Her boyfriend, a speedster, even considered retiring. He just couldn't do it anymore.

And then one day, when…the boy was visiting his love's grave, he came on a devastating sight. Someone had desecrated her grave, had _dug up the coffin _and made off with her body. The team was shocked. They were angry, irate, furious, enraged. They were emotionally devastated by the fact that their sister, their friend, had just been stolen away as though she were nothing more than a possession.

They searched for her. The whole Le…gion of superheroes searched for the fallen heroine's missing body, with few results. Then, one day, six and a half months after the girl died, six months after she was laid to rest, one of the heroes had a breakthrough, and found out that villains had raided the girl's grave and had taken her body for the purpose of bringing her back to life so she could serve them.

The heroes could not let this happen, so they sent m…the boyfriend to stop it. They didn't really want to send him, because they thought he was too emotionally close to the issue, but he begged and pleaded with them and they finally allowed him to go with the rest of the team. They broke into the complex, and while the rest of the team was occupied with taking down the goons, the speedster went off in search of the monsters that took his girlfriend's body.

He found them, but he was too late. They had just dumped y-**her **body in the Pit. He managed to take down all the villains and rescue his…breathing girlfriend from the Pit. She…was _alive_, living and breathing and talking and…sobbing. And then she ran off, confused and only half-functioning, and her boyfriend had to find her."

"That's…that's one of the saddest stories I've ever heard," She muttered, before a word clicked in her head.

"That's the word I was looking for! That big, complicated word I couldn't find!"

"Huh?"

"_Alive_. Wally, I'm alive!"

He let out a breathy little laugh and swept her into a hug, tears streaming down his cheeks as he clutched her to his chest.

"Yes you are, Artemis. Yes you are."

(And later, when they returned and everyone broke down because she was **alive**, and Artemis had fully regained her memories and sanity, and the Team and the League and her _mother_ didn't let her out of their sight for about a month, Artemis and Wally agreed it was for the best that they retire. Artemis couldn't handle going back to the superhero gig right now, and Wally needed to be beside her and wanted to support her. So they moved in together and started college. And the rest, as they say…is history.)


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